Stunningly beautiful high-definition, high speed footage of hummingbirds in the wild combined with high-tech presentations of their remarkable abilities help us to understand the world of hummingbirds as we never have before on Nature at 7 p.m. Sunday.

Judi Dench returns in the sequel to the Emmy-nominated “Cranford” mini-series, the acclaimed story of everyday life in a small Cheshire market town on Masterpiece Classic at 8 p.m. Sunday.

KLRU celebrates the arts with this special focusing on Austin-area choirs. In Context: Voices of Light at 8 p.m. Monday features songs by Austin Chinese Choir and Capital City Men’s Chorus and the choirs from East Austin Baptist, Abiding Love Lutheran Church, The Lakeway Church and Barton Hills Elementary School. The diverse lineup illustrates that regardless of differences, the desire to express the experience of life through music is a common goal.

See how Sam Cooke put the spirit of the black church into popular music on American Masters Monday at 9 p.m. Through creating a new sound, he set into motion a chain of events that forever altered the course of popular music and race relations in America.

Hear for yourself how Marvin Gaye combined gospel, rhythm and blues, soul and jazz to create his own intimate style reflecting his “path of the heart” and giving us his autobiography in lyrics and sound on American Masters 10 p.m. Monday.

A magnificent trading vessel embarks on a royal expedition to a mysterious, treasure-laden land in Egypt called Punt. Tuesday at 7 p.m., Nova follows a team of archeologists and boat builders as they reconstruct the mighty vessel shown in the mysterious wall carving.

Independent Lens documents the true story of the final weeks of rehearsal for the Young@Heart Chorus in Northampton, MA, whose average age is 81, and many of whom must overcome health adversities to participate at 8 p.m. Tuesday.

We are separated from our nearest relatives, the chimpanzees, by only one or two percent of our genes. Alan Alda sets out at 7 p.m. Wednesday on Human Spark to explore our differences and quickly finds that the scientists studying chimps and other non-human primates are themselves separated into opposing worldviews.

Recorded for television at the end of its Broadway run in July 2008 by Spike Lee, “Passing Strange” is the semi-autobiographical story of a young black man who leaves behind his middle-class, church-ruled upbringing in Los Angeles to travel to Europe in search of his identity, or what he calls “the real.” See it on Great Performances 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Legendary New Orleans songwriter Allen Toussaint hits the Austin City Limits stage with songs from his latest LP, The Bright Mississippi, and classic hits like “Southern Nights” Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. and Friday at 9 p.m.

Republican candidates in the highly anticipated Texas gubernatorial race will square off in The Texas Debates: Race for Governor on Thursday, January 14, at 7 p.m. The live debate broadcast to millions on television, radio and online throughout the state will include two-term Texas Governor Rick Perry and three-term U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.